Tool handle for exchangeable tools such as chisels or the like



March 9, 1965 A. FISCHER TOOL HANDLE FOR EXCHANGEABLE TOOLS SUCH ASCHISELS OR THE LIKE Filed Aug. 1, 1961 INVEN TOR.

United States Patent 3 172,439 TOOL HANDLE FOli EXCHANGEABLE TOOLS SUCHAS CHISELS OR THE LIKE Artur Fischer, Tumlingen, Kreis Freudenstadt,Germany Filed Aug. 1, 1961, Ser. No. 128,426 Claims priority,application Germany, Aug. 23, 1960, F 31,948 2 Claims. (Cl. 14561) Thepresent invention relates to tool handles for exchangeable tools such aschisels or the like.

Tool handles for chisels or similar tools are known which are formedwith an axial tapered bore extending from one end face thereof into thehandle and adapted to receive the conical shank of a tool such as achisel or the like, wedged into the axial bore to be removabletherefrom. During use of the tool the conical shank thereof usuallybecomes tightly wedged into the axial tapered bore of the handle so thatthe removal of the tool from the handle is connected with considerabledifiiculties. Such handles are therefore usually also formed with atransverse bore extending traversely to the axis of the handle at theinner closed end of the axially tapered bore so that a drift or key maybe driven into this transverse bore to loosen thereby the shank of thetool wedged into the axial bore.

Such drifts are usually sold together with the tool handle and a set oftools adapted to be removably mounted in the axial tapered bore thereof,but experience has shown that such drifts can easily get lost or mislaidso as not to be readily available when the operator desires to exchangeone tool for another one.

It is one object of the present invention to provide for a tool handleon which a drift for loosening the shank of a tool wedged into the axialtapered bore of the handle can be removably held.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tool handleof the type described with resilient holding means for holding a drifton the handle.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tool handleof the type described in which a drift can be resiliently held, to beeasily removable therefrom and in such a manner that the drift will notinterfere with a proper grip of the hand of the operator around thehandle.

It is yet an additional object of the present invention to provide on atool handle of the type described resilient holding means for a driftand which can be easily manufactured at reasonable cost and which willstand up under extended use.

. With these objects in View, the present invention mainly comprises atool handle for exchangeable tools such as chisels or the like andformed with a tapered bore extending in axial direction from one endface of said handle into the same and having an inner closed end, andwith a transverse bore extending through the handle substantially normalto the axial bore at the inner end of the latter, and resilient holdingmeans connected to the outer surface of the handle for removably holdinga drift adapted to be driven, after removal from the holding means, intothe transverse bore to remove the shank of a tool wedged into thetapered axial bore of the handle.

Preferably the tool handle comprises a handle body formed with theforementioned tapered axial and transverse bores and a sleeve formedfrom tough plastic material fastened to and surrounding the tool-body.The sleeve is formed between the ends thereof with an elongated cutoutextending in axial direction and from the outer surface of the sleeve tothe outer surface of the handle body and with a pair of narrowtransverse cutouts extending respectively at opposite ends of theaxially extending cutout to opposite sides of the latter, so as todefine with the axially extending cutout a pair of lips "ice havinglongitudinal edge faces directed toward each other, which edge faces areinclined with respect to each other, so that the outer edges thereof arespaced from each other nearer than the inner edges thereof. Theseinclined edge faces are adapted to hold between themselves theforementioned drift which can be easily removed from the space betweenthe edge faces of the lips.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method ofoperation together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbe best understood from the following description of specificembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a partly sectioned side view of the handle according to thepresent invention; and

FIG. 2 is a section taken along line AB of FIG. 1, viewed in thedirection of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawing, it will be seen that the tool handleaccording to the present invention, comprises a substantiallycylindrical elongated handle body 1 having a pair of end faces and beingformed with tapered bore 2 extending in the axial direction from one endface, shown in FIG. 1 as the lower end face, into the handle body andhaving an inner closed end. The axial bore 2 is adapted to receive theconical shank of a tool, such as a chisel or the like, not shown in thedrawing. The conical shank of the chisel or the like tool is held in thehandle by being slightly wedged into the conical portion of the bore 2.To remove the shank of a tool from the tapered bore 2, the tool body isalso formed with a transverse bore 3 extending substantially normal tothe axis of the handle at the inner end of the axial bore 2, so that adrift or key may be driven through the transverse bore 3 to thus loosen,in well known manner, the conical shank of a tool wedged into thetapered axial bore 2.

The tool body 1 is preferably formed with an annular rim 11 spacedclosely from the upper end of the body 1, as viewed in FIG. 1, whichannular rim 11 forms a shoulder on the outer surface of the cylindricaltool body 1. A sleeve 4 formed from resilient, though plastic materialsuch as polyamide, or the like, surrounds the tool body 1 between theannular rim 11 and the lower end thereof and fastened to the outersurface of the cylindrical handle body by resiliently engaging thelatter. The sleeve 4 is formed substantially midway between the endsthereof with an elongated cutout 10 extending in the axial direction ofthe handle from the outer surface of the sleeve 4 to the outer surfaceof the handle body 1, and the sleeve is also formed with a pair ofnarrow transverse cutouts 6 and 7 respectively extending at oppositeends of the axially extending cutout 10, to opposite sides of thelatter, so as to define with the axially extending cutout 10 a pair oflips 8 and 9 having respectively longitudinal edge faces 8' and 9'directed toward each other. These edge faces are preferably inclinedwith respect to each other, as can be best seen from FIG. 2, so that theouter edges of these edge faces are spaced nearer from each other thanthe inner edges thereof. The edge faces 8, 9' define together with theportion of the outer surface of the handle body 1 located between theinner edges of edge faces 8' and 9 a substantially trapezoidal space inwhich a drift or key 5 is located. The drift 5 has preferably a diametersubstantially equal to the thickness of the sleeve 4 and the outer edgesof the edge faces 8', 9' are spaced from each other a distance slightlysmaller than the diameter of the drift 5, so that the latter may besecurely held in the trapezoidal space formed between the edge faces 8',9', and the portion of the outer surface of the handle body 1 locatedbetween the inner edges of the edge faces 8', 9, without protruding withany part beyond the outer surface of the sleeve 4. The drift 5 can beeasily removed from the longitudinal cavity with a screw driver or thelike, whereby the lips 8 and 9 will be resiliently deflected in outwarddirection. The lips 8 and 9 form therefore resilient holding means forholding the drift 5 onto the outer surface of the handle body 1. Thesleeve 4 with the axially extending cutout 10 and the narrow transversecutouts 6 and 7 defining between themselves and the axially extendingcutout 10 the lips 8 and 9 are preferably molded in one operation. Thetransverse bore 3 extends, of course, also through the sleeve 4 andportions of the transverse bore 3 in the sleeve may be formed in thesame molding operation. The outer surface of the sleeve 4 may be knurledas schematically illustrated in FIG. 2.

It will be understood that each. of the elements described above, or twoor more together, may also find a useful application in other types of atool handle for exchangeable tools such as chisels or the like differingfrom the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in atool handle for exchangeable tools such as chisels or the like andprovided with resilient holding means for removably holding a drift ontothe handle, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, sincevarious modifications and structural changes may be made withoutdeparting in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can by applying current knowledgereadily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this inventionand, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to becomprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A tool retaining means for retaining on a tool handle a drift or thelike, said retaining means comprising, in combination, a sleeve ofresilient material and having outer and inner substantially cylindricalsurfaces of substantially uniform diameter throughout the length 45 ofsaid sleeve so as to be adapted to cover substantially the peripheralsurface of the handle, said sleeve being formed intermediate the endsthereof with an elongated cutout extending in the axial direction ofsaid sleeve and radially from the outer toward the inner surface thereofand being in its entirety located between said cylindrical surfaces,said cutout having a pair of oppositely inclined side faces adapted toresiliently engage a drift or the like placed in said cutout toresiliently retain said drift in said cutout, said side faces havingouter edges spaced from each other a distance smaller than the inneredges thereof and said cutout having a pair of end faces extendingtransverse to said side faces and respectively spaced from the ends ofthe sleeve.

2. A tool retaining means for retaining on a tool handle a drift or thelike, said retaining means comprising, in combination, a sleeve ofresilient material and having outer and inner substantially cylindricalsurfaces of substantially uniform diameter throughout the length of saidsleeve so as to be adapted to cover substantially the peripheral surfaceof the handle, said sleeve being formed intermediate the end thereofwith an elongated cutout extending in the axial direction of said sleeveand having a pair of opposite side faces having outer edge portionsspaced from each other a distance smaller than the inner edges thereofso as to be adapted to resiliently engage a drift or the like placed insaid cutout to resiliently retain said drift in said cutout.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS WILLIAM FELDMAN,Primary Examiner.

MORRIS M. FRITZ, Examiner.

1. A TOOL RETAINING MEANS FOR RETAINING ON A TOOL HANDLE A DRIFT OR THELIKE, SAID RETAINING MEANS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A SLEEVE OFRESILIENT MATERIAL AND HAVING OUTER AND INNER SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICALSURFACES OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM DIAMETER THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF SAIDSLEEVE SO AS TO BE ADAPTED TO COVER SUBSTANTIALLY THE PERIPHERAL SURFACEOF THE HANDLE, SAID SLEEVE BEING FORMED INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOFWITH AN ELONGATED CUTOUT EXTENDING IN THE AXIAL DIRECTION OF SAID SLEEVEAND RADIALLY FROM THE OUTER TOWARD THE INNER SURFACE THEREOF AND BEINGIN ITS ENTIRELY LOCATED BETWEEN SAID CYLINDRICAL SURFACES, SAID CUTOUTHAVING A PAIR OF OPPOSITELY INCLINED SIDE FACES ADAPTED TO RESILIENTLYENGAGE A DRIFT OR THE LIKE PLACED IN SAID CUTOUT TO RESILIENTLY RETAINSAID DRIFT IN SAID CUTOUT, SAID SIDE FACES HAVING OUTER EDGES SPACEDFROM EACH OTHER A DISTANCE SMALLER THAN THE INNER EDGES THEREOF AND SAIDCUTOUT HAVING A PAIR OF END FACES EXTENDING TRANSVERSE TO SAID SIDEFACES AND RESPECTIVELY SPACED FROM THE ENDS OF THE SLEEVE.